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Thursday, April 06, 2006

First Blood and Broken Fingers

As I was folding laundry last night Alethea was merrily pulling the piles down from the coffee table. She lost her balance and ended up sitting on the floor screaming. I thought that maybe she'd bumped her chin or something but then I noticed blood around her bottom teeth. A bit panicky, I wondered if she had knocked her tiny teeth into her gums. She stopped crying in just a moment and I realized that her tooth had cut her lip. She went on her way with nothing more than a bit of a fat lip, and I think I was more traumatized than she was. My sweet, unmarred baby was bleeding. I remember Peregrine's First Blood. He was sitting on the couch (backwards) when he toppled and hit the back of his head on the edge of the coffee table. I scooped him up and wrapped him in my arms, cradling his head in my hand. And then I felt it through his thick hair- blood. It's amazing how many thoughts can tumble through a Mama's mind in a split second. Did his head crack open? Will he have a concussion? Do we need to call 911? Take him to the emergency room? Will he have brain damage? Will he even survive? So I did the only logical thing and called my Mom. She assured me that he would be fine and that head wounds always bleed a lot. I was comforted. I think. Peregrine stopped screaming after a few minutes and who should arrive at the door but Doctor Grandma herself. I'm not sure if she came for me or for Peregrine but we were both glad of her presence. There's nothing like a Mom who's been there, done that to speak words of peace and comfort in those situations. Now Peregrine has taken to breaking his fingers. At least that's what he calls it. He bends a finger back as far as he can and says "Mom, I'm breaking my finger". That's my cue to say "Okay Peregrine, you can break your fingers but I'll have to take you to the doctor." At that point he exclaims "No!" and proceeds with breaking the next finger. And so it goes with each finger, the same conversation, over and over and over and over. He informed me that his fingers break very easily. And that if he breaks his head off I can take him to the doctor and they can put it back on for him. I'll try to remember that. And the best of all? He told my Mom the other day that if he gets tired of Alethea he'll just kick her back to Jesus! I guess if she breaks anything in the process I'll know what to do.

1 comment:

It must be a 3 yr old thing. Kai is always breaking limbs. A while ago Chinua accidentally sat on his hand (on a soft couch) and he started crying, so indignant, saying "You almost about broke my hand!" In response to your comment, it is easy these days to think of myself as doing something wrong. But I think it's just boys. And if I am at all consistent in my inconsistency, I'll be a lot easier on Leaf, because I'll realize by the time he's Kai's age that these things pass. Something to think about now, while Kai's going through it.